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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. degree — an amount
  3. wound — an injury
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. degree — from a university
  7. wind — moving air
  8. object — an aim
  9. pop — soda
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pop — to visit
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. cap — a lid
  14. stock — goods
  15. wind — moving air
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. stock — shares
  18. object — to protest
  19. cap — a hat
  20. pop — music
  21. cap — of ice
  22. degree — temperature
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. object — a thing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com